Strasburg also started the Nationals’ opener last season, when he was on a now-infamous pitch count that led to his controversial shutdown in early September. In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery last season, Strasburg went 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts (in 159 1/3 innings).

"He has great stuff. He is very dedicated, works very hard," manager Davey Johnson told the website. "That's a great honor. We have a lot of great starters in our rotation."

Another of those great starters, lefthander Gio Gonzalez, also was a candidate for the opener. In 32 starts last season, Gonzalez won a major league-best 21 games, posted a 2.89 ERA and struck out 207 batters (in 199 1/3 innings). He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting.